Choosing Your Words

We're on day 30 of the Trump Government shutdown and make no mistake it is his choice to have a shutdown. He said it was his and he would own it. So he does. A deal existed in December to avoid a shutdown, a deal he supported and agreed to sign, then he backed out. Trump makes it hard to broker deals because he changes his mind multiple times a day. No one in Congress, Republican or Democrat, believe they can negotiate with him in good faith.

Politicians in general love slogans and mangling words to suit the emotional churning of voter's moods. Every word has an actual definition but most people choose to ignore it. We allow the politician and some activists to ascribe meanings which are not there.

Wall, barrier or fence are things, they are neither moral or immoral. Morality is a legitimate debate which can and must take place in the crafting of public policy. Deciding where to place fencing on a border should be based on where it is most needed and effective. We have hundreds of miles of barriers on the southern border, all funded by bipartisan support over many years. Now we have a juvenile pissing contest started by the President. Trump says the wall is moral and about the soul, Pelosi says it's immoral. They're both wrong.

The fact is there is a legitimate need for security enhancement on our border with Mexico but there is no crisis. We are not being overrun and invaded by mass caravans carrying criminals, that is political chicanery by fear mongers whose motivations lay elsewhere. The reality is most of the people who are here illegally fly into the country and overstay their Visas. The rest fled here to find work and instead of blaming the businesses which exploit them, it is the undocumented worker that gets vilified. Start prosecuting the businessmen like Donald Trump who employ them and you'll be amazed at the progress.

The only fence building with a moral quotient is the one you erect around your own brain and refuse to see all perspectives of an issue.

You can close your eyes, stick your fingers in your ears and scream lalalalala but the problem won't go away.